332. Bunker Village Groede

332. Bunker Village Groede

While soldiers of the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade on October 25 are liberating the environment of Groede, just outside the village they come across to their surprise a well camouflaged German bunker village, part of the Atlantic Wall.

It looks like an ordinary village with streets and houses, but in reality it is a regional headquarters and Stützpunkt Groede. The eleven bunkers have roofs, painted doors and windows or are camouflaged in different ways as common. There are also two Tobruk battle bunkers, concrete roads and a light Flak anti-aircraft gun. The artillery, troops-, ammunition and hospital bunkers have names like "Villa Saarland", "Villa Freundlich" and "Villa Mossel Land". The bunker complex belongs to the ,1st and 2nd Artillery Abteilung 1712 and is equipped with four 10.5 cm canons with a range of over 18 km and four mortar positions.